Volumetric receiver development - a heat transfer and design evaluation of an advanced air heating solar thermal central receiver concept

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5710226

Drost, M K

The volumetric receiver is an advanced solar central receiver concept designed to produce high temperature air. This document presents the results of a heat transfer and performance evaluation of the volumetric receiver concept. The volumetric receiver consists of an array of ceramic fins or fibers arranged in concentric rows around a central manifold. Solar energy is absorbed on the fins or fibers and is used to heat ambient air which is drawn into the receiver by an induced draft fan. The unusual features of the volumetric receiver required the development of analytical models for radiation heat transfer, convection, and receiver performance. Radiation heat transfer was calculated using a Monte Carlo model where an innovative numerical scheme was used to improve computation speed. Convective heat transfer correlations used were obtained from a review of existing literature. The receiver performance was predicted using a transient simulation, which calculated the equilibrium temperature distribution. The results of an extensive parametric investigation of five volumetric receiver design variations are reported and the most attractive design is identified.

• Research Organization: Oregon State Univ., Corvallis (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5710226
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
CENTRAL RECEIVERS
PERFORMANCE
CONVECTION
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
HEAT TRANSFER
SOLAR AIR HEATERS
SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
SOLAR SPACE HEATING
DESIGN
AIR HEATERS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
ENERGY TRANSFER
EQUIPMENT
HEATERS
HEATING
HEATING SYSTEMS
MASS TRANSFER
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR HEATING
SOLAR RECEIVERS
SPACE HEATING
140901* - Solar Thermal Utilization- Space Heating & Cooling